Masonry vs. Stainless Steel Chimney

Both are functional. Masonry chimneys have been around forever and are proven. That said, I have an exterior masonry chimney, burn 24/7 Nov.-April...if I had it to do over again i'd go stainless in a heart beat. Based on friends who have stainless chimneys, they are more forgiving when burning not perfectly seasoned wood (seemingly less creosote buildup), they heat up quick but don't seem to have as much overdraft or runaway problems (that i've heard anyhow) and the stuff seem to be durable and lasting. I've yet to hear a complaint from one of my buds about their S.S. chimneys.

It's your call...either way you can heat your house, both have proven track records....one is just a bit more fussy than the other but you can learn your way around that (though, if you don't burn 24/7 I advise you to go with stainless....less wood consumed to heat it up. It takes A LOT of heat to get an exterior masonry chimney hot)

A stainless steel class "A" chimney tested to UL HT-103 standard is hard to beat. Steel expands and contracts more readily than masonry, and so is less prone to thermal shock. In an insulated exterior chase you will likely have greater success with this than with masonry/terra-cotta.As others stated, it will heat up PDQ . any problems with "non self-starting" will be reduced as well.

blackgooseJT